School System Earns ‘B’ Letter Grade for the Index on Progress that is linked to Student Growth

Tangipahoa Parish Public Schools received its annual report card today from the Louisiana Department of Education, which showed academic gains in the 2017-2018 school year in the areas of ACT Index, High School Assessment Index, and DCAI index. The school system maintained a “C” letter grade for overall school performance, even as the state raised the bar for what it takes to earn that grade, and it achieved a “B” letter grade for helping students grow year-over-year.

“Having reviewed the data and looking at our progress as the state moves the bar higher, I would say this is a great day for the Tangipahoa Parish School System,” said Tangipahoa Parish School Superintendent Melissa Stilley. “Our success in this year’s testing is directly related to the collaborative efforts at every level, from our students and teachers to school leaders, support teams, and our families. I also credit our School Board members who allowed us to take innovative measures in the classroom to ensure our students’ success."

Every year, schools and school systems in Louisiana receive report cards with school performance scores and corresponding A-F letter grades. The report cards, which can be viewed on the online Louisiana School Finder, communicate how well schools are preparing students for the next grade level by examining student performance measures, like how students’ score on state assessments, how many students are graduating each year or how many students are earning early college credit. Over time, the state has raised the bar for each of these measurements, and for the first time this year, the report card also details how well schools are helping students, regardless of where they start at the beginning of the year, progress toward mastering key concepts and skills.

Among the highlights from this year’s report card:

The school system achieved a “B” for student growth. Tangipahoa Parish earned a “B” for helping students progress toward mastery in English language arts and Math. It also landed 4 “Top Gains” schools who earned the rating by having over a 90 in an index and receiving no other labels, such as, CIR or UIR.

The school system improved in a number of performance areas. Though the school system earned the same overall letter grade, it improved student performance on the ACT and had a small increase in the high school assessment index.

Four schools received “Top Gains” status and one school is an “Equity Honoree.” The schools include Champ Cooper, Chesbrough Elementary, Southeastern Louisiana University Lab School (Top Gains & Equity Honoree), Spring Creek Elementary.

“These are encouraging results, and and strong evidence that our schools did not lose ground even though the state pushed the bar significantly higher,” Stilley said. “In an accountability system where mastery or above is the new ‘basic,’ our students kept pace with the new standards and our scores remain steady, which is important, considering that many districts saw their rankings drop, even by a letter grade.”

“Looking forward, our team is projecting even better performance next year, as our students utilize the Tier I curriculum we have implemented in English Language Arts and math to raise their scores. I am hopeful that this time next year we will see our students reaching their true potential, as reported in the next testing cycle,” Stilley said.